WaMu Web site on the fritz

Customers don't usually rant about wanting to pay their bills. But then again, they don't usually have to spend five days trying to pay them.

Washington Mutual's Web site has been working only sporadically since the company began adding new features to its online banking site last Sunday. The upgrade is taking longer than expected, bank representatives say.

"Every day I try to get in," said Tim DiMarco, a WaMu customer who regularly uses the site. "Every day I call them, and every day they say, 'Sorry.'

"Five days is ridiculous. It's just shocking and leads me to question the integrity of their Web services."

Some WaMu customers said they've had trouble accessing their accounts on the Web site. Some have gotten into their accounts but couldn't transfer money or pay bills. WaMu assured customers the problem is not security-related.

Jeff Englehorn said he has spent four to six hours trying to pay his bills and find out why he couldn't.

"It doesn't seem like a lot, but I have a life and job outside of managing my finances," Englehorn said.

The company says it is doing its best to resolve the problem.

"We have a team of experts working diligently around the clock to finish up the work," spokeswoman Darcy Donahoe-Wilmot said in an e-mail.

Customers are advised to call the toll-free customer-service number, 800-788-7000 (800-841-1743 for TDD), to pay their bills with a telephone banker.

Steve Morrow, a longtime customer, said he spent 45 minutes on the phone trying to pay his bills after not being able to pay them online.

"[Customer service representatives] were well-trained in apologizing," Morrow said.

Even after those 45 minutes, one of the four transactions done over the phone was delayed and another was sent to the wrong payee, he said.

Despite the frustration, Morrow said he wouldn't be making significant changes to his routine.

"It's a pain in the behind to move banks, and I'm not very good at getting things to the mailbox," Morrow said.

Changing banks might not help anyway.

"Unfortunately, I don't think there are any bright shining lights among the banks," said Joe Ridout, a spokesman for Consumer Action, a nonprofit education and advocacy group in San Francisco.

Chase Bank customers suffered the same predicament as WaMu customers during an upgrade earlier this year.

"Their Web site was down for almost a week," Ridout said.

According to the Better Business Bureau, banks are in the top 20 most-complained-about industries in Washington, Oregon and Alaska. Cellphone services are number one.

Washington Mutual has had 155 complaints in the past three years, said Katie Young, a spokeswoman for the BBB.

"They have resolved most of the complaints that have been presented to the bureau, but not enough to give them a satisfactory record," Young said.

WaMu did not say when the site would be working normally.

"All we can do is ask customers to be patient," the company said.

Englehorn said he wished the company had warned customers about the upgrades so they could have made plans.

The Web site is having problems at the worst time of the month for paying bills, he said.

"If it's the beginning of the month, that's one thing," Englehorn said. "But it was the weekend towards the end of the month."

When he asked the company whether it would cover late fees or correct credit reports if his bills are paid late, he said the customer-service representative told him it was not WaMu's responsibility.

Through his frustration, Englehorn has been able to keep a sense of humor: He asked Washington Mutual to send out a blanket apology and to credit everyone's account $10.

Bibeka Shrestha: 206-464-2436 or bshrestha@seattletimes.com